Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-12-23

sake of this history. which is, | think,
worth giving the world. that he may ar
rive in safety. If he does, and can carry
the treasure we have provided him with IN
the shape of bars of solid gold, he will be,
comparatively speaking, "A rich man tor
life. and well able 10 marry his Annette,
if she IS still in the land OF the living and
willing To marry her Alphonse.
ANY how, on the chance, may as Wen
add a word cr two to dear old Quarter
mains narrative.
lie died az GAVIN On the disy following
that on which he Wrote the last words OF
the last chapter. Nyieptha, Good and my
self were present ami a most touching and
vet in its way beautiful scene 1t was. An
hour before the das break it became appar-
ent TO us that he was sinking, and our dis
tress was very keen. Indeed, Good melted
into tears at the idea-a fact that called
forth last gentle flicker OF humor from
our diving friend, for even at that hour he
could be humorous. Goods emotion had,
bv Ioosening the muscles, naturally caused
his eve-glass to fall from its accustomed
place. and Quartermaln, who always ob-
served everything, observed this also.
AT last he gasped, with an attempt at
a smile. II have seen Good without his
After that he said no more till the day
broke, when he asked to be lifted up to
watch the rising of the sun for the last TIME.
"In n very few minutes he said, after
through those golden gates
Ten minutes afterwards he raised him
self and looked us iiXedly in the face.
~ am going a stranger journey than any
we have taken together. Think of me
sometimes he murmured. God bless
Won all | shall wait for you together"
and with a sigh he fell back dead
And so passed away n character that l
consider went as near perfection rs any it
has ever been my lot to encounter.
Tender constant humorous, and pos
sessing many of the qualities that 90 10
make a poet. he was yet almost unrivalled
as a man of action and citizen OF the
world | never knew any one so cOmpet-
ent to form an accurate Judgment OF men
and their motives. Il have studied hu-
man nature all my life" he would say,
"and ought to know something about
il" and he certainly did. He had but two
faults-one was his excessive mOleSty, and
the other a slight tendency which he had
to be Jealous OF anybody upon whom he
concentrated his affections. As regards
the first OF these points, anybody who reads
what he has written will be able to form
his own opinion; but | will add one last in
stance of it.
As the reader will doubtless remember,
IL was Il faYOrite trick of his TO talk OF MN
self rs "A timid man, whereas really, though
very cautious, he possessed most intrepid
spirit, and. what is more, never lost his
head Well, in the great battle Of the
Pass where he got the wound that finally
killed him, one would imagine from the
account which he gives of the occurrence
that it was a chance blow that fell on him
in the scrimmage.
Asa matter of fact, however, he was
wounded in n most gallant and successful
attempt to save Goods life, at the risk, and
rs il ultimately turned out, at the cost of
his own. Good was down on the ground,
and one of Nasta's HighlanderS was about
az
himself onto his PROSTATE form and re-
ceiyed the blow on his own body, and then
rising, killed the soldier.
Well, he died. and Good read the Burial
Service over him in the presence of Nylep-
tina and myself, and then his remains
were. in Difference to the popular clamOr,
accorded great public funeral, or rather
cremation. | could not help thinking,
however, as | marched in that long and
splendid procession up to the Temple, how
he would have hated the whole thing could
he have been there TO see il, for he had q
horror of OStcntatiOn.
And so, a few minutes before sunset, on
the third night after his death, they laid
him on the braZen flooring before the altar,
ana waited FOR the last ray or the setting
sun to fall upon his face. Presently it
came, and struck him like golden arrow,
browning the pale brows with glory, and
then the trumpetS blew, and the flooring
reyolyed and all that remained of our be-
loved friend fell into the furnace below.
We shall never see his like again if we
live hundred years. He vas the ablest
man, the trueSt gentleman, the iirmeSt
friend, the finest sportsman, and believe,
the best shot in all Africa.
And 50 ended the very remarkable and
adventurous life of Hunter Quarttermain.
Since then things have gone very well
with Us. Good has been, and still is, busi-
ly employed in the construction OF Il navy
on Lake MilOs!i, and another OF the large
lakes, by means of which we hope to be
able To Increase trade and COmmGrGa, ana
also to overcome some very troublesome
and war-like sections of the population
who live upon their borders. Poor fellow
he is beginning To get over the sad death
of that misguided but most attractive
woman, SOrais, but it is Il sad blow to him,
for he was really deeply attached to her.
| hope, however, that he will in time make
n suitable marriage and get that unhappy
business out of his head. Nyleptha has
one or two young ladies in view, especially
Il daughter of NaStaS (who was a widower),
n very fine imDCrial-lOOlliug girl, but with
too much oi her fathers intriguing, and
yet naughty spirit to suit my taste.
There is on thing that | intend to de,
vote myself to, and that Is the total eXClU-
sion Of all foreigners from Xu-Vendis.
Not, indeed, that any more are ever likely
To get here, but if they do, | warn them
fairly that they will be shown the shortest
way out of the country. | do not say this
from any sense of inhospitality, but be-
cause ann convinced of the sacred duty
that rests upon me of preserving to this,
on the whole, upright and geucrous-hcart-
ed people the blessings OF comparative
barbarism. Where would all my brave
army be If some enterpriSlng rascal were
TO attack us with tield-guns and Martini
HeurNSS L cannot see that gUnpowder
teleEraphs, steam, daily newspapers, uni
NerSal suffrage, etc, etc, have made man
Kind one whit the happier than they used
to be, and | am certain that they have
brought many evils in their train. | have
no fancy for handing over this beautiful
country to be torn and fought for by spec
ulators, tourists, politicians and teachers.
whose voice i as the voice of Babel lust
as those horrible creatures in the valley of
the underground river tore and fought for
the body of the wild swan; nor will | en-.
dow 1t with the greed, drunkenness, new
diseases, gunpowder, and general demon
alizatiGn which chiefly mark the progress
OF ClNlllZatiOn amongst unSOphiStiCated
peoples. If in due course it pleases Pro
violence to THROW Xu-NcndiS open to the
world, that Is another matter; but of my
sell VIII not take the responsibility, and
l may add that Good entirely approves OF
my decision. Farewell
HENRY CURTIS.
December 10, IS.
L. 81 quite forgot to say that about
nine months ago Nyleptha (who is very
well, and, in my eyes mt any rate, more
beautiful than ever presented me with a
SON and heir. He is irregular curly haired
bluc-eyed Young Euglishman in looks. and
though he IL destined, if he lives, to inherit
the throne of Ku-Nendis, | hope | may be
able to bring him up 10 become what an
English gentleman should be- and gcuer-
ally iS-whiCh Is to my mind even n proud
or and Il finer thing than being born heir
apparent To the great House of the Stair
way, and. indeed, the highest rank that q
man can reach upon this earth
HENRY CURTIS.
NOTE BY GEORGE CURTIS, ESQ
The Ms. of this history, addressed to me
in the handwriting of my dear brother,
Henry Curtis. whom we had given up for
dead. and bearing the Alden postmark,
reached me in safety on December 20. IS
or little more than two years after it left
his hands in the far center of Africa. and
hasten To give the astonishing story it con
tajuS to the world. Speaking for myself.
have read II with very mixed feelings:
for though IL is Il great relief to know that
he and Good are alive and strangely pros
porous, | cannot feel but that for me and